Ron Weiser
Update: 5:30 p.m. Saturday -- Michigan Republicans officially picked former state Rep. Shane Hernandez as Tudor Dixon's lieutenant governor today at the convention, the Detroit News reports.
Also as expected, Matt DePerno was nominated for attorney general, and Kristina Karamo for secretary of state.
-----------------------
From Earlier Saturday
As many expected the Michigan Republican Convention began Saturday in Lansing on a contentious note.
Many delegates booed party Chairman Ron Weiser when he took the stage, and a two-hour fight ensued over which delegates should represent Macomb County at the gathering, the Detroit News reports. That fight was led by Weiser critic Mark Forton, the chairman of the Macomb County Republican Party.
"We’re taking our party back," Forton said during an interview on the convention floor, Craig Mauger of the News reports:
More than 2,000 delegates are expected later Saturday to vote to officially nominate candidates for lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and other statewide offices. But before that portion of the agenda, the delegates had to approve rules for the convention and weigh in on the feud over Macomb County's representation.
Unity was expected to be a challenge at the weekend session.
Hoping to keep some unity, ex-President Donald Trump endorsed Shane Hernandez, Tudor Dixon’s pick for lieutenant governor, days ahead of the gathering.
That came as former Dixon rival Ralph Rebandt vowed to challenge Hernandez for the nomination.
Ex-gubernatorial candidate James Craig, who had been the frontrunner at one point, but got kicked off the primary ballot because of bad petition signatures, has refused to endorse Dixon. He says he's mad she was the first to legally challenge his standing on the ballot.
"Why would I support someone from a campaign that filed the first complaint?" Craig asked this past week, according to The News.
